In St. Petersburg, for the first time, a criminal case was opened against rufer guides, Fontanka reports , citing its sources. The organizers of walks on the roofs are charged with Article 238 of the Criminal Code "Provision of services that do not meet safety requirements."
Earlier in March, it was reported about mass checks of people walking on the roofs of houses in St. Petersburg. Approximately 20 administrative protocols were issued for guides who organize such events.
As part of the checks, police officers signed up for such walks, came to them in civilian clothes, and already on the roof they wrote out a protocol for the guides regarding doing business without registration or special permission.
As the police found out, for such an excursion the guides took from 500 to 1 thousand rubles per person, which were transferred using online transfers to their bank cards for the purpose of "financial secrecy". In addition to the illegal nature of doing business, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also noted a threat to the health of participants in such events, which can be regarded as a reason for initiating a criminal case against their organizers.
On April 12, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg adopted a law on control over the activities of guides and tour guides, which comes into force on July 1, 2023. According to it, guides will be able to legally work in the city only with a special identification card. To obtain it, it is necessary to pass certification, which is carried out by the "state authority of the subject of the Russian Federation in the field of tourism."
